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First Barbary War
Introduction The First Barbary War was a four year war from 1801 to 1805 between the United States and Tripoli, a kingdom in northern Africa, which was part of a group of countries called the Barbary States. This was the first war that the young United States fought in, and it helped to shape it's military and navy, as well as political standing and foreign relations. Background Prior to the war, the Barbary States demanded tributes from the United States as part of various treaties, in order to 'protect' merchant vessels from state-sponsored pirates, and guarantee the release of sailors held captive (Barbary Wars, par. 6). However, the Pasha (similar to an emperor or king) of Tripoli, Yūsuf Karamānlī, was unhappy with the United States' payments, and demanded an increase of tribute. The president at the time, Thomas Jefferson, declined to pay the increased tribute, which led to the Pasha declaring war on the United States in dramatic fashion, by chopping down the flagpole of the American Embassy in Tripoli (Wagner, par. 1). American Response The most common sentiment among the American people was best summed up in a naval report on the Barbary Pirates, as "when we can appear in the Ports of the various Powers, or on the Coast, of Barbary, with Ships of such force as to convince those nations..." (United States pg. 45). The United States had, for a long time, been expecting war with Tripoli (Letter to Gates), so they were ready to move against him quickly. Originally Jefferson had wanted to enter European nations in the war (Letter to Madison), but when the time came, there were no allies to be found, due to various involvements of the countries he sought the aid of. Jefferson could not act against them in war without congressional approval, however he was able to order the navy to work to protect American ships. A small squadron was sent to the Mediterranean, trying to both protect the Americans and blockade the Tripolitans, however they were not very successful in either respect. The blockade was a token effort at best, and American ships escaped harm by being nimble and evading Tripolitan ships, rather than having the United States Navy engage with them (Huff, par. 14-17). Other Barbary States When the war initially started, it was only between the United States and Tripoli, and the US was able to maintain relations with the other Barbary States. Jefferson believed that if those countries entered the war, it would become impossible for America to support itself in the war effort, and we would lose. The Navy's blockade of Tripoli's harbor, however, interfered with trade to the other states, so they took the side of Tripoli, and in 1803 Morocco entered the war (Huff, par. 19-21). Philadelphia In October of 1803, one of the United States’ frigates, the Philadelphia, ran aground on the shores of a beach, near Tripoli. All 307 crew members were captured by Tripolitan forces. The Pasha of Tripoli had the ship repaired in the hopes that it could be used against the United States (Huff, par. 24). Before it could be used, though, the US Navy launched a mission to destroy the ship, since it would be impractical to steal it back, due to its location in Tripoli’s port. A volunteer crew was assembled under Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, plus a Sicilian sailor familiar with Tripoli’s ports. The crew, mostly hidden below decks, snuck into the harbor under the guise of a merchant ship, but they were discovered when trying to get close to the Philadephia. There was a quick struggle, wherein the American forces quickly overcame the guards on the Philadelphia and set it alight before fleeing. The mission was a success, as the ship burned and sank into the Tripoli harbor, where it was unusable and unrecoverable (The Barbary Wars). Lietenant Decatur became an American Hero, and the mission was so famous it is reffered to in the first verse of the Marine's Hymn, "From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli." The End of the War The war came to a close in 1805 when Eaton, and ambassador, and also the Navy Agent of the United States for the Barbary Regencies, worked with Hamet Karamānlī to try to overthrow the Pasha. Hamet was the Pasha's older brother who had been forced out, and sought to reclaim his title. Eaton worked with him by gathering his supporters, as well as United States Marines, to join his cause and move against the Pasha in Tripoli (Wagner, par. 7 and 8). While the United States never had any real intention of supporting Hamet's claim to the throne, these circumstances helped to force the Pasha into signing a treaty with the United States, wherein the US agreed to pay $60,000 a year in tribute, much lower than the $250,000 initial demand which started the war. The Pasha's brother Hamet was again cast out, and the United States revoked its support of him. Conclusion The experiences gained in this war helped prepare the United States for its first actual war (since there was no congressional declaration of war on the part of the US during this war), the War of 1812, by preparing its previously inexperienced Navy in the realities of combat, and putting the country's diplomatic abilities to the test. Bibliography Bainsbridge Tribute. N.d. Wikipedia. 11 July 2005. Web. "Barbary Wars, 1801-1805 and 1815-1816." U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. Carter, Dennis M. Decatur Boarding the Tripolitan Gunboat. N.d. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington Navy Yard. Wikipedia. Web. Corne, Michael F. Bombardment of Tripoli, 3 August 1804. N.d. Wikipedia. 18 June 2012. Web. Destruction of USS Philadelphia in Tripoli Harbor, 16 February 1804. N.d. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph, n.p. Huff, Elizabeth, Priscilla Roberts, and Richard Roberts. "The First Barbary War." Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. N.p., 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Horatio Gates. 13 Dec. 1784. MS. N.p. Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to James Monroe. 11 Nov. 1784. MS. N.p. Moran, Edward. Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbor of Tripoli. 1897. U.S. Naval Academy Museum Collection. Wikipedia. Web. "The Barbary precedent." The Wilson Quarterly 32.2 (2008): 78+. General OneFile. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. "The Barbary Wars--Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia, 16 February 1804." Naval History & Heritage Command. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. "The First Barbary War: The Tripolitan War." University of Michigan. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. United States Office of Naval Records and Library. Naval Documents Related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers ... Naval Operations including Diplomatic Background ... Published under Direction of the ... Secretary of the Navy. Prepared by the Office of Naval Records and Library, Navy Department, under the Supervision of Captain Dudley W. Knox, U.S. Navy (ret.). N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Wagner, Meaghan G. "Tripolitan War." Great Events from History: The Nineteenth Century. Ed. John Powell. Salem Press, 2007.Salem History Web. 25 Oct. 2013.